ESBB Travel Fellowships were offered for the first time in 2012 and they were awarded to applicants from emerging countries in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. This enabled the recipients to attend the Granada Biobanking Conference, to benefit from participation and to share their experiences with other attendees. This was a tremendous success, greatly appreciated by all concerned.

The travel fellowships were funded by full sponsorship from Biobusiness Consulting, Tissue Solutions, Taylor Wharton and Qiagen, together with partial sponsorship from Freezerworks.

Many thanks to all our sponsors for their generosity in supporting this important initiative!

For more information about ESBB Travel Fellowships, please visit the following web page:
http://www.esbb.org/awards.html

Dr Alice Matimba - information to follow

Mr. Sadik K. Ngoa is Biobank Manager at the Centre of Geographical Medicine Research Coast (CGMRC) in Kilifi. Kenya. This is one of the ten centers of the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and is home to the KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme. Sadik holds a BSc in Information Systems and Technology as well as an MBA and has worked on a variety of projects as a network systems engineer, developing an online research database, developing eLearning platforms. He leads a group in implementing an integrated (LIMS) at the medical research center. His research interests are primarily in Biobanking & Bio-repository Management, Bioinformatics and Health Informatics, Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), Workflow Management & Business Rules, Database, Data Warehousing and Knowledge Management.

Mr Michael Igbe is programme manager at the National Onchocerciasis Control/Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Programme, and NTDs, Federal Ministry of Health, Department of Public Health, Abuja, Nigeria. He holds masters degress in Bioethics and also Applied Entomology and Parasitology. Michael has recently been involved in studies to assess public knowledge and willingness to participate in biobank research in Nigeria and his paper entitled "Public Perspectives on Biobanking in Nigeria" was selected for oral presentation in session 2 of the Granada conference.

Dr Misaki Wayengera - information to follow

Dr Samuel Kyobe is a medical doctor with a postgraduate diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and is currently a graduate student in medical microbiology. Samuel is recipient of the NIH-funded MEPI-MESAU grant at Makerere University College of Health Sciences since August 2011 under the mentorship of Prof. Moses Joloba.

Dr Areej Khatib is a medical doctor and pathologist who graduated from Haddassah Medical Center in Israel. Areej now works at the Augusta Victoria Hospital, a charity hospital situated in East Jerusalem which serves as the tertiary center for all West Bank and Gaza Strip oncology patients.  She is director of pathology and molecular labs in the hospital’s new diagnostic facility and is starting a new research biobank.